


Damn shipper's brain

by Mystic_Skylar



Category: Subnautica (Video Game)
Genre: Avery is stronk boi, Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Protect the mute soft boi at all costs, Ryley is a soft boi, mute character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:48:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22025086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystic_Skylar/pseuds/Mystic_Skylar
Summary: Basically a thing I'm writing as I come up with ideas and try to tie them all together. If you can't tell, I love torturing my favorite characters and comforting them. Don't judge me just take itThe first 6 chapters will be posted, after that I can't guarantee when updates will be posted because the 7th chapter hasn't been edited and I'm still writing more
Relationships: Avery Quinn/Ryley Robinson
Comments: 3
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hidey Ho fellow humans, I'm back from the void and WRITING AGAIN, shocker. Long story short, I wrote this based off a ship I developed in Subnautica, and it's loosely based on my own experience in game. Several things that happen to Ryley and Avery happened to me too in my game. 
> 
> I landed in an area where I got blown up by a crash fish the second I got into the water  
> I made the repair tool fairly quickly after landing, thus stressing myself out to get a Seamoth before the Sunbeam arrived  
> First time I got grabbed by a Reaper in my Seamoth the hull integrity dropped from 100% to 32%  
> First time I accidentally stumbled into Crater's Edge, the ghost leviathan took my Cyclops' health from 100% to about 50%  
> And last but not least, more will be added, I SCANNED A FUCKING REAPER LEVIATHAN. I still feel like such a badass
> 
> Hopefully this first chapter will be the only one i put such a long note on it, and please let me know if you notice any errors, want any tags added, or have constructive criticism/ critiques! They're always welcome here

The world came back in pieces as he woke up, first he felt the emergency constraints he was slumped against, second he heard an alarm and crackling. Lastly, his eyes shot open as he smelled smoke. Ryley Robinson was in a burning lifepod, panic rising in his blood as he tapped the release control. It didn’t respond to one tap, so he tapped it several more times, eventually punching the damn thing. The constraints were released and he fell out of the chair, catching himself against the opposite wall. He was vaguely aware of a pounding in his temple, but the fire was definitely more important right now. Scanning the floor, he spotted the lifepod’s fire extinguisher and grabbed it, barely remembering how to use it in the terror of the moment. The fire was out a few seconds later and he sighed, putting a hand to his head to wipe off what he thought was sweat. Sweat wasn’t supposed to be thick like what he felt, and he pulled his hand away to see blood coating it. He was injured, and memories hit him like a brick wall. 

_ The Aurora shuddered as something hit it with incredible force, destroying part it and sending it careening towards the planet they were orbiting. His own panic along with the panic surrounding him overwhelmed him as he sprinted towards the lifepods, practically throwing himself in the hatch and closing it behind him, not bothering to check if someone was following him to the lifepod. His breathing was labored, he was steadily getting closer to having a full on panic attack. He scrambled into the seat and pulled the heavy metal bars over himself, latching it into place just seconds before the lifepod was blasted away from the Aurora. He was thrown around in the chair, his head smacking rather hard against the constraints and stars flashed in front of his eyes, his ears pinging against the searing pain. He could barely process what was going on around him, and he didn’t notice the loose panel flying at his face until it was right in front of him _

He spotted the medical kit fabricator and went over to it, taking the kit inside. It isn’t ideal to bandage yourself, especially with a head wound, but in this case he had no other option. Once he was sure blood wasn’t dripping down his face anymore, he pulled out his PDA and tapped on the screen a few times to boot it up. It took longer than normal, so he set it down on the seat and climbed the ladder out of the lifepod. The sight that greeted him had his knees weak and his heart heavy as the weight of what had happened fully sunk in. The Aurora was a wreck, several holes in its hull and fires ablaze all over it. It was easy to tell where it was struck, there was a gaping hole towards the front of the ship and the damage was much heavier in that area. “Holy shit…” was what he tried to say, but the throbbing in his skull flared and all that left him was a pained whimper. Behind him, the PDA jingled and he climbed back into the lifepod, closing the hatch behind him. He picked up the tablet, watching as it displayed the Alterra logo and began to speak. 

“You have suffered minor head trauma. This is considered an optimal outcome.” Ryley rolled his eyes, sighing in exasperation. Typical Alterran device. “This PDA has now booted in emergency mode with one directive: to keep you alive on an alien world. Please refer to the databank for detailed survival advice. Good luck.” 

He puts the PDA back onto his tool belt and opened the bottom hatch, putting his feet into the water. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he pulled on his diving helmet and slid into the water. His pod had landed in a relatively shallow area, thankfully. He didn’t want to imagine what monsters lie in deeper waters. He had to explore, but the moment he passed over a ledge, he heard a creature screech and he turned towards the noise to see an alien fish swimming directly at him. Whatever it was, it didn’t look friendly, so he quickly started swimming in the other direction. However, the fish had too much of a head start before he had started to flee, and next thing Ryley knew, he was blown several meters away and pain lit up across his entire body. He stared in shock and the cloud of bubbles in the water where the fish had just  _ blown itself up,  _ trying to process what he had gotten into. If that was in the shallows, what the hell would he have to face when he had to venture deeper? 

He started slowly swimming back to where the fish had come from, keeping a careful eye out for more of them. When he saw none, he swam to the plant it came from and picked up what was left behind. His PDA told him it was cave sulphur, an ingredient essential to crafting a repair tool. He climbed back into the lifepod, opening the fabricator’s blueprints to see what he needed to make a repair tool. The pod was pretty busted from the Aurora exploding so close to it, sparks flying from the electronics exposed when the panel fell off. All he needed was silicone rubber, the cave sulphur he already got, and titanium. His PDA conveniently had the recipes for all those things, and they were relatively easy to find. Once he made a repair tool, he immediately got to repairing the life pod and the radio so he could  _ hopefully  _ send out an SOS. 

"Lifepod secondary systems online. Running full environment diagnostic and outputting results to databank." 

“Radio online. Broadcasting emergency distress signal.”

Ryley sighed in relief, an action that proved to be too soon when the radio spoke again.

“RADIO: This is Aurora. Distress signal received.

Rescue operation will be dispatched to your location in 9...9...9...9...9... hours.

Continue to monitor for emergency transmissions from other lifepods.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wild stronk boi appears 
> 
> Also yes I realize the Dunes are nowhere near the enforcement platform but I can't change it now

A few weeks had passed, and loneliness was starting to get to Ryley. He had received several automated distress signals from other lifepods. Every time, when he got to the coordinates attached to the broadcast, the lifepod was broken and no survivors were anywhere to be seen. One lifepod was completely destroyed, and Ryley felt a pain in his chest thinking of what the poor survivor had been through, only to meet their bitter end. He was torn away from his thoughts when his PDA bleeped, telling him there was a new message on the radio. He was prepared for another automated distress call, but instead was met with a human voice. 

"This is Avery Quinn of trading ship Sunbeam. Aurora, do you read? Over.

Nothing but vacuum. These Alterra ships. They run low of engine grease, they send an SOS; you offer to help, they don't pick up.” Ryley eyed the radio in annoyance, his outgoing communications had been offline since he repaired the radio, and he couldn’t speak for god’s sake.

“Aurora, we're out on the far side of the system, it's going to take more than a week to reach your position, do you still need our assistance? Over.

I'll try them again tomorrow. Damn charter's going to have us wasting our profit margin running errands for Alterra. 

See what the long-range scanner picks up in the meantime."

After the first message, Ryley waited anxiously for more messages from the Sunbeam to arrive. When they broadcasted the coordinates for their parking location, he headed out immediately. During his exploration the fast few weeks, he had found several fragments of destroyed Seamoths and scanned enough to have a blueprint for his own. He hopped in his Seamoth and drove as fast as he could towards the coordinates they had sent. When he arrived, he found a floating island that he’d never seen before. His PDA told him it would be half an hour before the Sunbeam arrived, so he decided to explore. He rounded a nearby corner and stopped in his tracks. Stunned by what he saw. There was a gargantuan alien structure in front of him with an odd tower on one end. 

He found himself drawn towards the building, but was blocked by a forcefield. He spotted a console of sorts nearby, and something glowing purple behind it caught his eye. He picked it up and examined the design on its glowing surface. Back at the console, he quickly connected that the tablet he picked up was supposed to go here. He placed it down and the forcefield faded, granting him access to the alien facility. Upon deeper exploration, he found a room that his PDA said was the control room to the facility. In the center of the room, there was a glowing green pillar of sorts with a button on the center. He approached it and gingerly pressed the button, jumping when his wrist was caught by a forcefield. Something came out of a hole above where his arm was currently caught, the flat end facing him for a second before a needle shot out of a tiny hole in the center of the device and it stabbed his arm, causing him to cry out in pain. He’d found he could still use his voice to make noise, but he couldn’t seem to formulate any words. Moments later the needle was retracted from his arm and the device retracted, his wrist released from the forcefield. He rubbed his arm where it had been stabbed, then pulled out his PDA when it said it was attempting to translate an alien broadcast. 

"The control panel is broadcasting a message. Translation reads...

WARNING: Infected individuals may not disable the enforcement system. This planet is under quarantine."

Several thoughts ran through his mind, but the most prominent was the last sentence. This planet is under quarantine. Under quarantine… Something clicked in his brain and he turned to sprint out of the facility, panic rising in his chest. The Sunbeam would be here in less than 10 minutes, and this planet was under quarantine. They would be shot down, just like the Aurora was. The Sunbeam was much smaller than the Aurora, and the devastation it caused the Aurora would obliterate the Sunbeam. He skidded to a stop in a spot where he was sure the Sunbeam would see him, waiting anxiously for it to arrive. His heart sank when the facility activated, the odd tower he had seen before swivelling around to point at the sky. He spotted the Sunbeam, circling over him as it approached. The terror of the moment weighed down his arms, he wanted desperately to wave them, tell the Sunbeam somehow to turn back,  _ it isn’t safe here _ . 

“Survivor, we see you! Man, I don’t know how you held out down there.” Static cut off whatever the captain was about to say as energy collected at the tip of the gun that stood aimed directly at the approaching shuttle, horror flooding Ryley’s veins. He was completely helpless, everyone on that ship was going to die. The radio crackled and he heard someone shouting to get in lifepods, but seconds later the energy beam fired and the Sunbeam exploded. His heart sank like a rock as he watched red hot debris fall into the infinite ocean below. Something caught his eye, something floating a ways away from where the Sunbeam had been moments before. It was a lifepod. Hope filled his chest but he didn’t allow it to swell too much, reminding himself of the astronomical odds of someone actually surviving. He ran to his Seamoth, which felt way too far away despite being only a couple meters away. His PDA spoke up as he was approaching the lifepod, only increasing the fear in his heart. 

“Detecting multiple leviathan class species in the region. Are you certain whatever you’re doing is worth it?” 

_ Yes, it is. _ Ryley thought to himself, forcing the Seamoth to go as fast as it would go. If there was even the slightest of chances that someone was alive, that he wouldn’t feel so alone all the time, he would face all the leviathans on this goddamn planet to get to them. He parked the Seamoth a few meters away from the lifepod and swam the rest of the way, his heart pounding in his chest. He couldn’t tell for sure, but he thought he heard footsteps pacing around in the lifepod. He tapped on the glass of the bottom hatch, and the footsteps stopped for a moment. A face appeared over the hatch, peering down at him with fear obvious in their face. That fear disappeared when they saw he was human and they opened the hatch for him, allowing him to enter the pod. 

“Are you the survivor we saw on the beach?” The survivor questioned him, to which Ryley responded with a nod. “My name is Avery Quinn, captain of the Sunbeam.” Ryley pulled out his PDA, opening his profile and handing the PDA to Avery. He was quiet for a second as he read the PDA, then he gave Ryley a quizzical look. “Why couldn’t you just tell me this yourself?” 

Ryley held out his hand for the PDA, making a new note in his database to type in.  **I can’t speak. Play the very first audio log in this PDA.** He handed it back to Avery, watching him carefully as he read it. Avery glanced up at him, then back down to the PDA and Ryley saw him switch to the audio logs and scroll all the way to the bottom. His chest twinged with pain as he heard the very first thing the PDA had said to him when he woke up on his hellish planet.

“You have suffered minor head trauma. This is considered an optimal outcome.

This PDA has now booted in emergency mode with one directive: to keep you alive on an alien world. Please refer to the databank for detailed survival advice. Good luck.”

Avery’s suspicious expression softened as it spoke, and he looked back up at Ryley as he handed the PDA back. To further prove himself, Ryley pulled back his still soppy hair to reveal the scar left from the sharp edge of the broken panel hitting his temple. Avery winced, sympathy replacing the previous suspicion on his face. 

“What happened? If you don’t mind me asking.” Ryley gave him a forgiving smile and a nod, looking down to type on the PDA again.  **The ship I was on, the Aurora, was shot down by the same thing that shot your ship down. I’m still not sure what it is. I managed to make it into a lifepod and eject from the Aurora, but it exploded before I got a safe distance away. A panel came loose inside the pod and flew around, eventually hitting me in the face. I was knocked out and woke up with the pod on fire and my head bleeding. As far as I know, I’m the only survivor…**

He could feel a lump rising in his throat as he recalled the events, not meeting Avery’s eyes as he handed the PDA over. He didn’t want to be seen crying in front of someone he just met, as well as the only other human alive on the planet. He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on his arms, looking at Avery’s feet as he read what Ryley had typed. He heard Avery shift and felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked up to see Avery now sitting beside him and looking at him both with worry and pity. That was almost enough to break him, but he bit his lip to force it down. He refused to be seen as weak. 

“I… I’m so sorry… I can’t imagine how it feels to be the sole survivor of a ship that large…” Ryley sighed and waved his hand, as if to say ‘Don’t worry about it.’ He gestured for Avery to follow him and left the pod. If what his PDA told him was correct, there were multiple leviathans around there just waiting for the perfect moment to strike. They had to leave, and now. The Seamoth was technically only meant for one person, but Ryley was determined to make it work. He heard the splash of Avery following, and he brought the other back to the Seamoth. Avery didn’t question how they would both fit in there, thankfully, just taking to squeezing in the small space behind the driver’s seat. Ryley went back to the alien facility, deciding Avery needed to be filled in on what was happening on this planet and the quarantine. He wasn’t excited to get stabbed again, but… He was determined. 

“This is what shot down my ship?” Avery asked, and Ryley nodded hesitantly. Once they were on the island, Ryley pulled out his PDA to type again ask they headed into the facility.  **There’s something about this planet, and me, I guess, that you need to know. It would take much less time to just show you rather than type everything out.** He handed the PDA to Avery and waited as they walked, stopping at the alien elevator. Avery was looking quizzical again, but much more trusting this time. “Lead the way, I guess.” Ryley’s PDA had already translated the message from the control panel, so it wouldn’t play it again. Avery’s however, hadn’t. Ryley hoped his theory was correct. He gestured for Avery to wait at the base of the platform the control panel was on, and felt the other’s eyes on his back as he walked towards the console. 

Taking in a deep breath and holding it, he pressed the button again and his wrist got trapped. He heard Avery shout in surprise when the device stabbed his arm, covering up his own sharp exhale and noise of pain. Ryley turned back and walked to Avery, who was visibly startled when his own PDA pinged. 

"The control panel is broadcasting a message. Translation reads...

WARNING: Infected individuals may not disable the enforcement system. This planet is under quarantine."

Avery looked at Ryley in alarm, “Infected? What do you have?” Ryley pulled up his data on the Kharaa bacteria and showing Avery. “Holy shit… So you’re just… going to die if you don’t find a cure soon..?” Ryley nodded, shrugging indifferently. He had accepted that, and wondered why he even continued to try and survive when he would die from the Kharaa. Avery was silent, processing everything he had just learned. Ryley let him think, wordlessly leading him out of the facility. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PTSD shows up

Later that night, Ryley had a nightmare.

_ He had been going about his normal duties when the Aurora was struck, knocking him off his feet. Alarms started blaring and panic rose in his chest, freezing him in place. People were running past, none even glancing at him. They were too focused on getting themselves to safety. “Robinson!” The captain’s voice snapped him out of his daze, he turned to look at the source of the voice. “Get up, you need to go! Get out of here!” Keen pulled him to his feet, pushing him in the direction of the lifepods. Adrenaline kicked in and he started to run in the direction Keen had pushed him. He needed to leave, he needed to get out of here. Distantly, he heard a call of his name, and the ship shuddered yet again, shaking him to the core. He skidded into a wall in his panic, scrambling to get in the lifepod. He barely made it out alive, the Aurora blew up when he was just a few hundred meters away. The lifepod shook, a panel coming loose from the wall. He swore he heard his name being called again, louder this time. He didn’t have time to think about that when the loose panel was currently flying every which way around the pod, threatening to hit him. The lifepod struck something and the panel came flying at his face, then the world went black.  _

“Ryley!” The shout finally pulled him out of the nightmare, he sat straight up and nearly knocked heads with Avery. He couldn’t breathe, he felt like he was drowning, which he had nearly done several times. Avery’s hand on his back and gentle voice grounded him, slowing the coming panic attack to a stop. When his ears stopped ringing, he heard Avery saying, “I don’t know what you were dreaming about, but it was just a nightmare. You’re safe, I promise.” Tears welled in Ryley’s eyes, and he started to shake. Just having someone there, talking to him, helping him... It was destroying what was left of the barriers he put up to protect himself.

Several times in the past weeks he had woken up from similar nightmares and had to suffer the following panic attacks alone, something that had never endured before the Aurora crashed. His PDA told him what he was experiencing was called PTSD, which is commonly developed after someone experiences something traumatic, and in his case, that was losing everyone he worked with. Avery just hugged him as weeks of holding everything back came crashing down, overwhelming him. Ryley noted he would have to apologize for crying on him later, but for now, he just enjoyed being warm. He finally wasn’t cold and alone anymore.

Ryley woke up just a few hours later, his sleep restless after his nightmare. To distract himself from the thoughts buzzing around in his head, he decided to gather supplies. He managed to find some sandstone chunks, quartz, and metal salvage, getting himself bitten by a Stalker in the process. He returned to find Avery awake, his face wide in alarm. Grabbing Ryley’s arm, Avery began inspecting the injury while questioning Ryley. "What the hell happened?" When his arm was released, Ryley pulled out his PDA to explain.  **I woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep so I went to collect supplies. I had a little bit of a nasty encounter with a Stalker.** He gave Avery the PDA and went to the lockers, grabbing a medical kit to bandage the wound. 

“You need to be more careful… Remember we’re all we have for each other. Almost everything else on this planet seems to want to kill us.” Ryley stared at Avery, his brain taking a moment to process what he had heard. Avery handed back the PDA, adding that they needed to find a better way to communicate. Ryley nodded in agreement, sitting on the bed and trying to recall the sign language he had learned forever ago.  **I know, I’m sorry. By the way, I meant to apologize for uh, last night. Y’know, the whole waking you up in the middle of the night and crying all over you.** His face heated up as he handed over the PDA, not really wanting to look at Avery. He heard the other sigh and he sat down next to Ryley.

“Dude, you have nothing to apologize for. You’re the sole survivor of a ship that had over 150 people on board, that’s some serious baggage. Plus, I’ve had my fair share of post-nightmare panic attacks. I know they’re not fun to deal with on your own.” Ryley was nearly in tears again, weeks of solitude had left him emotionally drained. His resolve nearly broke when Avery hugged him, a warmth that was very welcome in his current state. “You’ll be okay, I promise. We need to stick together in this situation, you’re helping me survive and I’ll help you through your trauma.” 

Ryley let out a whimper, the first noise he’d made in a while hurting his throat. “Hey, your voice does work!” Avery exclaimed, a joking tone in his voice. Ryley gave him a weak smirk, taking back his PDA.  **Yes, my vocal cords still work. I can’t seem to form words, and trust me, I’ve tried. It just… hurts. I don’t know how else to explain it.** He looked away, something about Avery made him feel at home, like he was truly safe in this hostile world.  _ God, I can’t be getting a crush right now.  _ He thought to himself, shaking his head.  _ Now is not the time.  _


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes I realize the first contact is after the Aurora
> 
> My search history is sus rn

It was a few weeks before Ryley had the first contact from a massive presence, he couldn’t tell what it was but it completely overwhelmed his senses. He saw a vague silhouette of the entity that was speaking to him, but he couldn’t make out what it was.

_ “What… Are… You…?”  _ It asked him, then the contact faded and he opened his eyes to find himself on the floor of his base, Avery kneeling beside him with a worried expression on his face. He helped Ryley sit up, who was much too aware of the hand supporting his back. He had become more sensitive to the other’s touch, when he would wake up from a nightmare and Avery would wrap an arm around him to ground him, speaking gently to him. Ryley had convinced himself it was the loneliness from being completely isolated a month beforehand. 

“What just happened? Are you okay?” Avery questioned, still watching him carefully. Ryley had taught the other what little sign language he knew, so they used that for basic communication while still relying on the PDA for more complex things. ‘I’m fine. Something spoke to me, I don’t know what it was.” He signed, his face warming as their eyes met. Sign language relies on facial expression, so they had to make eye contact. If Avery noticed, he didn’t say anything.

“Are you sure you’re alright? You look a little pale.” Ryley jokingly rolled his eyes, shaking his head. ‘Yes, mom. I’m fine.’ He signed, and Avery laughed. “Hey, I’m just making sure.” He put his hands up defensively, and Ryley found himself missing the touch. He shook it off, standing up to grab his PDA.  **Whatever spoke to me had a large presence, if that makes sense. I could feel the contact coming, my ears started buzzing and I couldn’t hear what you had been saying to me. I’m guessing I passed out shortly after?** Avery nodded as he read the PDA, deep in thought. 

“Yeah, and scared the hell out of me.” He added, watching Ryley as he grabbed a bottle of water out of a locker. ‘Sorry’ He signed, opening the bottle and taking a sip. Retrieving his PDA, he made a new note to type in.  **We need to go to the Aurora, my PDA said the radioactive fallout will destroy the ecosystem if we don’t fix the reactors.** He showed Avery the PDA, who looked up at him concern etched into his face. “Are you sure you’re okay to go there?” He asked, and Ryley sighed.  **Not really, but we’ve no other choice. We’re close enough to be within the fallout radius and get radiation sickness.** The concern didn’t leave Avery’s face, but at least he agreed. They headed out as soon as it was daylight, sticking close to each other in case something attacked. Two heads were always better than one, after all. 

Anxiety rose in Ryley’s gut as the seabed sloped downwards until they could barely see it anymore. He hadn’t dared venture near the Aurora before now, so he had no idea what to expect. Anxiety turned to terror as a deafening roar sounded right behind him, and the next thing he knew, he was face to face with the second largest creature he’d encountered thus far. The creature was huge, he guessed it was at least 50 feet long, and it had large mandibles that were crushing his Seamoth. He watched the hull integrity drop from 100% to 32% before it let him go. Let go was an understatement, it tossed the Seamoth several meters away and he nearly crashed into the sandbar the Aurora was sitting on. As he saw Avery's Seamoth headed towards him, he searched desperately for somewhere those things couldn’t get to them . There was a small gap in between the sand and the Aurora towards the back of the ship that he parked the Seamoth in, scrambling out of it and landing on his hands and knees in the sand. He was trembling and gasping for air, he hadn’t realized he had held his breath while fleeing from the creature. Behind him, he heard Avery’s Seamoth open and footsteps running towards him. 

“Are you okay?! Did that thing hurt you?” He asked worriedly, slowly rubbing Ryley’s back while he caught his breath. Once he had, he stood up and took a deep breath to calm the shaking. ‘I’m fine,’ he signed, ‘Scared, but fine. We have to keep moving.’ He gestured for Avery to follow and carefully made his way around the Aurora, looking for somewhere they could get in. His heart sank seeing their only point of entry was in the water, right where whatever that thing that had grabbed him was. ‘We have to swim, quickly.’ Avery held on to Ryley’ waist as the latter used his Seaglide to get them to their destination as quickly as possible. 

When they climbed onto the Aurora’s broken floor, they immediately spotted robotic looking alien crabs scuttling about. Ryley pulled out his knife as one attacked him, jumping at him and slashing at his thigh with its sharp claw-like legs. He cried out in pain as the knife connected with the creature, causing it to scuttle away in fear. Neither of them had a first aid kit on them, forcing them to leave the wound unattended as they pressed on through the destroyed spacecraft. The smell of something god awful hung thick in the air, and Ryley began feeling sick as he realized it was the smell of burning flesh. 

The first open door they found was to the cafeteria, but they had to heave a table out of the way before they could see inside. The charred bodies of his crewmates that were previously hidden by the table caused Ryley to throw up. Those were people he knew, and they could have been his friends. The thought only increased the pain in his stomach as he heaved a second time, his radiation helmet discarded nearby. His PDA pinged when he was done, “Calorie intake recommended.”  _ Yes, thank you, you’re so helpful.  _ He thought exasperatedly, jumping slightly when a hand came to rest on his back. 

“All done? You need to put your helmet back on…” Came Avery’s concerned voice, laced with pity. Ryley hated it, now wasn’t the time for him to be weak. They had a task they needed to complete, and fast. He grabbed his helmet and stood up, pulling it back on carefully. Once it was latched in place, he signed, ‘Sorry, not used to dead bodies. Don’t think I’ve ever seen one before’

“Yeah, I’m not surprised. I’d be worried you were a psychopath or a murderer if you had.” Avery joked, patting his shoulder. Ryley gave a weak laugh, shaking his head. ‘You’d know if I was by now.’ He replied, to which Avery responded with his own laugh. Ryley found himself blushing, which he quickly shook off.  _ Not fucking now, _ he scolded himself, leading Avery to where he knew the reactors were. His PDA told him there were 11 total leaks, so they got to work. There were leech-like creatures in the water that latched onto their arms when they were trying to repair the holes, making the job take much longer than they’d anticipated. 

Ryley tried to ignore them for as long as he could, which probably wasn’t a good idea in hindsight. His PDA beeped, telling him he had lost a significant amount of blood and to seek medical attention if he felt lightheaded or sleepy.  _ I don’t think there are any doctors anywhere near here.  _ He thought to himself, knocking off the alien with the handle of his repair tool. Luckily he had just repaired the last leak, so he quickly climbed out of the water and scanned himself. The results told him that he was infected with the Kharaa bacterium, which he rolled his eyes at because that much was obvious, and that he had lost 18% of his total blood volume. The number was steadily increasing, which he could only assume was from the still bleeding wound on his thigh. He sighed and leaned against the wall behind him, closing his eyes to try and quell the dizziness that was making his head swim. He heard Avery climb out of the water as his PDA pinged again.

“Radiation contained. The area surrounding the Aurora will become safe for unprotected exploration in three days.”

“Ryley..?” He opened his eyes to find Avery watching him with a worried expression, which changed to relief when his eyes opened. “Oh thank god, I thought you’d passed out again. You’re getting a little pale, is everything alright?” Ryley showed him the results from the scan as he tried to gather the strength to stand up. Avery helped him up, saying, “We need to get back to the habitat, you need a first aid kit.” Ryley just nodded, limping towards the door. The pain in his leg was only getting worse, no doubt from being in contact with salt water. On the way out, Avery spotted a torn piece of cloth which he assumed was from a bed in the living quarters nearby. They stopped to let Avery wrap the wound in hopes of slowing the bleeding. Ryley had tried to do it himself, but Avery insisted on doing it, saying that Ryley needed to save his strength. 

They continued forward slowly but steadily, Ryley stumbling as the ship trembled and he lost his already weakened balance more than once. Eventually Avery put his arm around Ryley’s shoulders to support him, muttering something about him shivering. There were fires surrounding them but he did feel slightly cold, a shiver running down his spine as he thought about it. Thankfully the makeshift bandage worked as they hoped it would, Ryley checked his PDA and the percentage of blood lost was increasing much slower than it had been before. It had just gone up from 25% to 26% when he looked at it. 

When they reached the exit, Avery was the one to fight off the crab-like creatures since Ryley’s head was still spinning. There seemed to be more of them than when they arrived, both of them littered with cuts and scratches when they reached the water’s edge. They slid into the water when the last of the aliens had scuttled off, Ryley weakly clinging to Avery’s waist as the other glided them through the water back to their Seamoths. He heard the huge creature roar in the distance and a dull fear rose in his chest through the haze that was developing. That thing had nearly destroyed his Seamoth in one attack, he couldn’t fathom what it would do to them outside of the vehicle. He could feel blood soaking through the sheets wrapped around the wound on his thigh, and he vaguely remembered thinking that the alien crab must have hit a large vein or small artery.

Avery pulled him onto the sand and laid him down gently, taking his PDA from him to check his vital signs. “Shit, 32%, that’s not good…” He looked at Ryley with concern practically radiating from him, his movements slow and careful as he placed a hand on Ryley’s forehead. “You’re far too cold, okay, we need to get to base now.” He was talking more to himself than to Ryley, but he tried to sign that he was fine, pushing himself up. Avery stopped him with a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder, preventing him from sitting up further. “No, you’re not fine. If this thing is correct, you’re going to pass out soon if we don’t stop the bleeding. You can’t be driving a Seamoth right now.” He said it with a finality that made Ryley give in immediately, allowing himself to be picked up and placed carefully in the Seamoth. “You just need to try to stay awake, okay? I know you probably feel extremely tired, but you can’t sleep yet. Not until we stop the blood flow.” Ryley wanted nothing more than to just close his eyes, but he knew he’d be putting himself in danger if he did.  _ I have to stay awake,  _ he thought, his eyelids getting heavier by the second.  _ For Avery... _


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The feelings come out

The ride back to the habitat took way too long, much longer than it did to get to the Aurora. Maybe his perception of time was skewed, he couldn’t tell exactly. Ryley felt the Seamoth slow to a stop and rise up slowly, then it was docked in the habitat’s Moonpool. Someone was talking to him but it sounded like they were still underwater, and he couldn’t tell what he was being told. He was pulled out of the Seamoth and picked up, his instinct making him curl into the body of whoever was holding him. His vision was hazy as he tried to focus on the face of the person holding him, quietly whimpering when he couldn’t. The arms holding him tightened their grip slightly as their pace sped up. He was confused and disoriented, he couldn’t tell what anything was around him even though he knew he’d been spending most of his time in this place for the past two months. He was laid down on some soft surface and the voice talking to him got louder, he could tell they were friendly and worried about him.

His eyes fluttered closed and the voice roise to a panicked shout, barely cutting through the fog in his head. “No…. you need... stay awake….” Unconsciousness slowly crept over him like a blanket of darkness, which he gave in to without much of a fight. The last thing he heard was his own voice, barely a whisper. “I’m sorry…”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Ryley groaned as he slowly came to, his head throbbing and limbs weighed down by invisible weights. He shifted slightly, opening his eyes and he saw Avery across the room, looking at him with relief in his eyes. He had obviously been pacing, which sent a ping of pain through Ryley’s chest. He didn’t want to have distressed his only friend on this planet. He tried to sit up but Avery quickly came over and pushed him back down gently. 

“You need to rest, you lost a lot of blood and the wound got infected...” He murmured, his voice shaking. “You scared the hell out of me again, you were out for at least a day. I thought you were going to die, dude.” He brushed Ryley’s hair away from his forehead to take his temperature again, relieved to find it somewhat normal. Ryley’s face flushed pink, his heart skipping a beat in his chest. He still refused to believe he was getting a crush but was finding it harder to rationalize that he didn’t. 

The two of them sat in silence for a moment before Avery spoke up again. “You said something to me before you passed out…” Ryley looked at him, surprised. He opened his mouth to try and say something, but nothing came out and he shook his head. “Yeah, I didn’t really expect you to magically be able to speak again to be honest. It was barely even a whisper and pretty slurred together.” Avery shrugged, giving him a forgiving smile. ‘What did I say?’ Ryley signed, looking at Avery curiously. “You just said you were sorry. I don’t know what for.” Ryley grabbed his PDA from the small table beside the bed he was in.  **I probably knew I was going to scare the shit out of you. I’m sorry, by the way. Last thing I wanted was to make you distressed.** Avery watched as he typed, shaking his head. 

“It’s not your fault, like I said, you had lost a lot of blood. The wound was pretty deep, that crab fucker got you pretty good.” Ryley laughed at that, Avery always had a colorful vocabulary that tickled his funny bone. Avery chuckled and moved so he was sitting on the bed next to Ryley rather than kneeling on the floor next to the bed. “Try to go back to sleep. You need a lot of rest.” He said, combing his fingers through Ryley’s slightly tangled hair. He found himself shifting into the touch ever so slightly, the steady movement soothing him. ‘Will you stay here? Just for a little bit?’ He signed, looking at Avery with hopeful eyes. The other smiled and nodded, “I will, promise.” Ryley returned the smile and shut his eyes, lulled to sleep by the gentle hand combing through his hair. 

When he woke up later, it was dark outside and he was being held by someone. It was warm and he was tempted to go back to sleep, but the person holding him shifted and one of the arms around him left its spot. He whined and opened his eyes, his face burning when he found himself curled into Avery’s chest. He pulled away and sat up, staring at the sleeping man. He sighed quietly, there was no denying it now. He pulled out his PDA and started typing.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Ryley rewrote his message at least five times, frustration growing in his gut. He growled, deleting it again and restarting. Avery stirred and sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Morning Ryley. How are you feeling?” He asked, looking at Ryley, who sighed. ‘Fine. I need to tell you something, hold on.’ Avery looked confused and worried, but waited quietly while Ryley typed.

**I don’t really know how to say this without embarrassing the hell out of myself, but it’s bothering me and you need to know. I think I’m sort of, developing a crush on you? I didn’t want to believe it at first, but I can’t really deny it to myself anymore. Everything you do, when you hold me after a nightmare, when you checked my temperature, when you brushed my hair, it all just… It makes me happier than I’ve been in a long time, even before I crashed on this planet. I’ve been hiding this for a while because I didn’t want to ruin our relationship…** Ryley refused to meet Avery’s gaze as he handed over the PDA, prepared to be yelled at and lose the only friend he had left. Instead, he was pulled into a hug and he went still as he felt Avery rest his chin on his head. 

“You should have told me sooner, it’s not healthy to keep something like that to yourself. I would never be upset with you, having a crush on someone isn’t really your choice. I… I’m not sure how I feel in return, I need to think about that. Just know that I’m not upset with you in the slightest.” Ryley sniffled, relief making him feel like crying. He had been bottling up his emotions for weeks on end, terrified that if he had said something sooner it would create a rift between the two of them. It had turned out much better than he’d imagined, he almost felt closer to Avery than he did before. Avery tightened his grip slightly, rubbing his arm in a soothing manner. “Hey, Ryley, it’s okay. Everything’s okay.” The words broke his resolve and tears slid down his face. He felt like a whirlwind of emotions was rushing through him, overwhelming him completely. He was relieved to finally have that weight off his chest, grateful to Avery for being so understanding, and worried about what would come next. He pushed the worry away and just allowed himself to relax for what felt like the first time in forever. The past few weeks he had been forcing his emotions down, but now that they were out in the open, he felt at peace.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last one before updates become wonky. I apologize in advance 
> 
> I knocked their heads together, and Ryley has a panic attack

Ryley found himself waking up to Avery holding him more often in the weeks following his confession, which sent his heart racing each time. They had a double bed, yet every night they seemed to gravitate towards each other while they were asleep, ending up with their limbs tangled together and bodies pressed against one another. This time he couldn’t find it in himself to move away, the warmth from the other very much welcomed. Avery shifted closer, the arm around Ryley’s waist coming up to gently pet his hair. He kept his eyes closed as Avery woke up, he heard the other sit up slightly, pausing and Ryley felt Avery looking at him. The other sighed, Ryley heard him shift again, and a gentle kiss came to rest on his forehead. His face flushed quickly and he shifted, pretending to be just waking up. 

Avery was watching him when he opened his eyes, still laying rather close. “Morning, you.” He said with a smile, which Ryley returned. ‘Morning’ He signed, too aware that his face was still burning and probably bright red. Avery sighed, sitting up and avoiding Ryley’s gaze. “Look, I’ve been thinking about what you told me, and I uh… I honestly think I’m starting to feel the same…” Ryley found himself at a loss for words, all sorts of emotions rushing through him. Worry and confusion, then elation and excitement. He hugged Avery tightly, unable to even process his thoughts at the moment. Avery returned the embrace, filling Ryley with happiness and he was content for the first time in forever. They stayed there for a good while, just enjoying each other’s company and touch. Avery was the first to pull away, gently holding Ryley’s face and giving him a sweet smile. He pressed another kiss to Ryley’s forehead, much less timid than the first one. 

“I hate seeing you have panic attacks after a nightmare because I know how much worse they are than regular panic attacks, and you don't deserve to go through that. I hated seeing you get sick in the Aurora and I hated seeing you injured from the alien crab things. I just want you to be safe and happy, it hurts to see you upset or injured.” Avery explained further, Ryley's heart fluttering in his chest. It had been a while since someone cared about him so deeply, almost all of his relationships in the past years had been short term. He hoped this one wouldn't turn out to be the same, however somehow this one felt different. Avery understood him more than his previous partners and he was much more willing to help Ryley when he was in a dark place. His instinct was telling him Avery would stay by his side through thick and thin, on or off this damn planet. The new couple fell back asleep in each other’s arms.

  
  
  
  
  


The first thing Ryley noticed when he woke up was that he was cold, and Avery was gone. He sat up, scanning the room. Avery was nowhere to be found. Ryley hopped out of the bed and walked around the base quickly, searching in vain for the one person keeping him sane. His breathing was uneven by the time he reached the last room and saw no one, his heart pounding in his ears. Logic told him Avery had just gone out to collect materials or retrieve the Seamoth they had left behind at the Aurora, but there were too many other possibilities blocking out that reasoning.  _ What if he had gotten hurt and needed Ryley’s help? What if the huge creature by the Aurora caught him before he got to the Seamoth? What if he’s dead?  _ The thought made him whimper, wrapping his arms around himself and sliding to the floor with his back against the wall. He dug his fingernails into his arms, desperately trying to ground himself. Ryley swore he could hear the insecurities running through his mind being whispered in his ear, growing louder as he got closer to having a full-blown panic attack. He was trying his hardest to fight it off, but he was fighting a losing battle.

Ryley screwed his eyes shut as the world started spinning under him, and he was struggling to breathe properly. He was shaking violently, tears starting to spill down his cheeks. Soon enough he was crying uncontrollably as the damning thought ran through his mind repeatedly.  _ God, what if he’s dead, what if he’s dead, what if he’s dead-  _ The train of thought was cut off by the sound of the hatch opening and closing, then Avery called his name. He couldn’t respond, he couldn’t move, and at this point he could barely breathe. His arms were becoming sore from how hard he was gripping them, he was sure he would have bruises from it.

“Woah!” Avery exclaimed when he found Ryley, curled into himself and hyperventilating. Immediately, he dropped what he was holding and knelt down beside his panicking boyfriend. “Hey, hey, shh, it’s okay, I’m here.” He spoke gently, gathering Ryley into his arms. The other leaned into the contact, burying his face in Avery’s chest and hugging him as if he’d fall into the abyss if he let go. The touch was grounding enough to quell his panic attack slightly, but he was still hyperventilating and shaking pretty badly. 

“Ryley, you need to breathe for the love of god.” Avery sounded beyond worried, even scared. “I’m going to count to five, I want you to take as deep a breath as you can when I get to five, okay?” Ryley gave a small nod, still hiding his face against the other’s chest. It took several minutes, but eventually he got his breathing under control and stopped shaking as violently. Avery just held him for a while, rubbing his back gently. “What happened..?” He asked after a good bit, pulling away and holding Ryley by the shoulders to keep him grounded.

Ryley looked at the floor, ashamed. Now that he wasn’t in a blind panic, he could see huge flaws in the reasons that caused the panic attack. He pulled out his PDA, wiping his eyes quickly and sniffling.  **I woke up and you were gone, I started thinking that you could have gotten hurt and needed my help, and I would be none the wiser.** He choked up slightly as he typed out the next sentence.  **I thought maybe you had died…** He held out the PDA for Avery to read, still analyzing a seam in the floor. “Oh, Ryley…” He heard the other say quietly and he was pulled back into a hug. 

“I’m so sorry, I should have known better than to leave without even telling you where I was going.” Ryley whimpered and shook his head, not wanting Avery to be blaming himself. Tears welled up in his eyes as Avery held him tighter and pressed a gentle kiss to his hair. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m okay, I’m safe, and I’m not going anywhere.” Ryley was left emotionally drained after his panic attack and started to cry again. Avery just held him and muttered comforting words to him as he cried, rubbing his arm in a soothing manner. When he was done, Ryley pulled away and gave the other a watery smile. Avery returned the smile, gently wiping away the tears on his cheeks. 

Ryley’s face warmed up as a thought came to mind, their faces were so close, he could just… He decided to act on the idea, leaning forward lightly to brush their lips together in a chaste kiss. He felt Avery freeze up and he quickly moved away, worried he had acted too fast. He didn’t get far before the other grabbed his face gently and pulled him back into a deeper kiss. Ryley practically melted into the kiss, his eyes fluttering shut and his arms wrapped around the other. Their lips fit together perfectly, filling him with bliss, happiness, and contentment. They only pulled apart when they needed air, Avery resting his forehead against Ryley’s. 

“I love you” The statement tugged at a heartstring and Ryley wanted nothing more than to be able to say it back, to be able to vocalize his feelings, and the fact he couldn't sent a twinge of pain through his chest. He quickly pushed it aside, just wanting to absorb the warmth of the moment for as long as he could without his anxiety putting a damper on it. ‘I love you too,” he signed, giving Avery the brightest smile he'd worn in a while. The other pulled him back into a hug and he nuzzled his face into the crook of Avery’s neck. 

“See, this is exactly what I meant when I said I just want to see you happy and healthy. I love your smile, it's beautiful and I want to see it more often.” Avery spoke quietly, as if he was worried he'd break the tender moment if he was too loud. Ryley blushed at the words, letting out an indignant whine. He knew Avery was being honest, but he was struggling to accept what he said as true. 

“I mean it, and it's not even just your smile. Your body and personality are beautiful too. You hadn't even met me face to face when I arrived here, yet you still went out of your way to save me. There was no way I would survive in that lifepod for very long. Even now, you insist on putting yourself in harm’s way so that I'm safe.” Ryley pulled away from the hug so he could sign, 'You're going to make me cry again.’ Avery laughed quietly, patting his shoulder. 

“At least they would be happy tears this time, right?” Ryley nodded, sighing happily and resting his head back on Avery’s shoulder. The pair was quiet for a while before Avery spoke up again. “You're probably tired after your panic attack, you should try to rest.” Ryley hummed in agreement, sleepiness starting to set in right as Avery said that. “Don't worry, I won't leave you alone again.” He whispered soothingly, running his fingers through Ryley's hair.  _ How does he know that puts me to sleep?  _ Ryley thought, before he drifted into the first dreamless sleep he'd had in a long time


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ryley scans a Reaper. That's all there really is to it. Also my sign teacher just told us earlier that ASL is never a written language so now I don't know what my life is anymore

Weeks later, Ryley sat awake in bed as Avery slept peacefully beside him. It wasn't from his nightmares, it was his mind buzzing with thoughts on a crazy idea he had gotten earlier that day. The two of them had done a decent amount of exploring and had been to almost every different biome they could find inside of the crater. They learned the area surrounding the crater was an ‘ecological dead zone,’ and only supported microorganisms and leviathan class species. Hearing that, Ryley immediately pulled a 180 degree turn to get back to the crater. He didn't see what it was, but something hit their cyclops hard as they were leaving the dead zone. It took the hull integrity down to half in one hit, forcing them to leave the sub with the leviathan species they had encountered by the Aurora prowling nearby in order to fix the holes. Ryley was dying to know,  _ What is that thing?  _ He kept asking himself every time he heard its roar. That thought had given him the insane idea to try and scan one, if he could without dying, and he had finally thought of an idea he was almost certain would work. 

He left the base through the Moonpool, wincing as the docking mechanisms activated quite loudly. He hoped the noise wouldn't wake Avery up, the other would surely question where he was going and refuse to let him when Ryley told him. Luckily, there was no sign that Avery had heard him as he drove off, he glanced back several times and didn't see the other’s Seamoth behind him, so he assumed Avery was still fast asleep. Anxiety rose in his gut as the creature’s roar got louder, signifying he was close to his destination. He parked the Seamoth in the same small cove he had used when they came to the Aurora to fix the reactor core leaks. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, and armed with a stasis rifle, he turned to face the beast. This was the first time he'd actually get a good look at it, he was stunned for a moment at how truly huge he could tell it was, even at night. Sure, he had seen bigger leviathans, but they were a passive species and he had an entry in his databank on them already. He wanted to expand his data revolving around the leviathan species that lived on this planet, and this one happened to be the closest to where he called home.

The creature was slightly bioluminescent, the red hue of its pattern glowing ever so slightly in the dark water. He shined his flashlight on it so he could see it properly, his eyes widening and jaw dropping in shock. It looked to be made mostly of muscle, four mandibles protruding from its face, half made up of muscular tissue and long, curved black claws making up the other half. It had several dorsal fins, one on its forehead, two on either side of its chest, and four on its tail, making it look almost like a rotor. Ryley watched as it attacked a Spadefish that was swimming by, its mandibles stretching outwards and then closing in on the fish with impossible speed, the curve of the mandibles drawing its prey into its mouth. He gulped at the thought of what would happen to him in that situation. Tightening his grip on the stasis rifle, he set his jaw and slowly glided towards the creature. He couldn't use the Seaglide to get closer to it, he needed the weapon he was holding to freeze it in place. As his PDA synthesized the blueprints for the rifle, it had added an entry to his databank saying it was supposed to freeze the target entity in place for however long the laws of physics would allow. He could only hope it worked long enough on this thing to allow him to scan it. 

He waited close to the rear engines of the Aurora, keeping track of the bioluminescence he saw circling around the area. His opportunity came when the creature took a close swing towards his hiding spot, Ryley held down the trigger of the rifle as it charged, aiming it at the leviathan. A small, blue orb of electrical energy shot out, hitting the beast square in the face. He watched anxiously as it appeared to become dazed and confused, then a bright blue orb blew up around its head, trapping it in place.  _ Now!  _ He thought, pulling out his Seaglide to get to it as fast as possible. Once his scanner beeped, telling him it had picked up something it could scan, he practically tore it off of his tool belt, aiming it at the leviathan and pulling the trigger. The scanning process was only about half way done when the stasis bubble started to fade, and Ryley shoved the scanner back onto his belt, turning around and fleeing as fast as he could. Once he was back by the engine, he turned around and spotted a storage crate just a little ways out from where he was. He glanced at the leviathan, making sure it wasn't anywhere near, then dove for the container. He was relieved to find a medical kit, he only had one on him. His heart rate spiked as he turned away from the storage container to find the leviathan he was trying to scan  _ right behind him.  _ He let out a scream of terror, fumbling for his Seaglide in a desperate attempt to escape. 

The creature let out its deafening roar, a sound that had Ryley’s ears pinging against it. He narrowly avoided being grabbed by its powerful mandibles, one of them catching his calf and slicing it open. Thanking whatever god there was, he retreated back to the eddie where his Seamoth was parked, pausing to disinfect and bandage the wound. Avery wouldn't be happy when he came home wounded, Ryley sighed imagining the unavoidable conversation they would have when he got back. He snapped back to the present when the creature’s roar grew louder again, enabling him to hear it from above the water. Hastily finishing his work bandaging his injury, he dove back into the water, scanning for the leviathan. He found it circling the storage container he had grabbed the medical kit from, no doubt searching for him or its next victim. He froze it in place with another stasis bubble, quickly diving in to finish the scan. His PDA pinged, telling him the name of the creature.   


“Reaper Leviathan data bank entry added” It droned as Ryley glanced over his shoulder to see where the Reaper was. For the second time, he found it right behind him and he quickly fled to the shallow area where it couldn't get to him.  _ How has something that huge snuck up on me twice now?  _ He didn't stop to read the new entry, the sun was coming up and he had to get back to the base before Avery woke up and became worried about him. 

As Ryley’s beacon telling him the distance between his location and the base counted down, a sense of giddiness and invincibility came over him.  _ I really just scanned that son of a bitch.  _ He thought, grinning to himself. In his distraction, he accidentally collided with the edge of the Moonpool, creating a loud  **_CLANG_ ** . Grimacing, he quickly righted himself and docked the Seamoth properly, hopping out of it to hear Avery groaning sleepily as he woke up. Ryley walked into the room to see the other patting the side of the bed where he would usually be, his eyes opening in alarm when he didn't feel the warmth of another body in the bed. Ryley laughed at the sight, drawing Avery’s attention to him. 

“Where’dya go?” He asked, his words slurring together slightly. Ryley grinned at him, pulling up the new data bank entry and showing it to Avery. The other was quiet for a moment as he read the PDA, sleep fading from his face as he realized what the entry meant. 

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?!” He shouted, making Ryley flinch in alarm. That was pretty much what he expected, yet it still caught him off guard nonetheless. Avery sighed, noticing Ryley’s reaction, rubbing his face. 

“Sorry, sorry. I'm not mad- Well, yes I am but only because you could have fucking died, Ryley! Those things are dangerous, just look at the threat level it shows here!” Ryley looked at the ground, rubbing his neck sheepishly. Avery held out the PDA, obviously expecting an explanation out of him, so he obliged and started typing. 

**I know I'm insane for going and scanning one of those creatures, but I couldn't sleep just wondering what the hell it was. I had the stasis rifle with me and medkits, I'm fine. I only got hurt because I slightly misjudged how long it would be trapped for the first time I went in.** Avery’s eyes fell to the bandaged wound around his calf, scowling in annoyance. 

"This is exactly why I got upset," He said, gesturing to Ryley’s leg, "Imagine if it hadn't missed... you'd be as good as dead." Ryley nodded in understanding, waving to make sure Avery saw what he signed next. ‘But it didn't. I'm alive, and my leg will heal.” Avery grumbled, walking over to pull Ryley into a hug. 

“Guess I can't argue with that, but you're letting me check the injury for an infection.” Ryley nodded, agreeing to those terms. “And you're spending the next 10 minutes in cuddle prison for worrying me.” Avery added, making Ryley laugh brightly. ‘Oh, the horror!’ He signed with a sarcastic expression, yelping in surprise when he was pulled down onto the bed. 

“Get some sleep, love.” Avery murmured, pressing a light kiss to Ryley's lips. “I'll be here.” He promised as Ryley drifted off, his mind finally quiet.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ryley: *just trying to survive*   
> Me: Imma send Warpers to nearly kill you

“We need aerogel. How the fuck do we even make that?” Ryley looked up from the databank entry he was reading to see Avery looking at the fabricator in both exasperation and annoyance.

“Seriously, do you know how to make aerogel?” He asked Ryley, who nodded in response. His PDA had synthesized the blueprint for it when he picked up a gel sack for the first time in the grand reef. He stood up, searching through their lockers to find the gel sacks he had picked up during his last trip to the Blood Kelp Zone. 

“Oh, here it is. One gel sack and one ruby.” Ryley snickered as Avery found the blueprint. He had already made aerogel before, so the recipe was in their fabricators. Sighing, he shut the lockers and glanced at Avery.  **We have to go to the Grand Reef for rubies. It's the closest biome that we don't need to go super deep to find them.** The other groaned as he read Ryley’s PDA.

“Isn't that place like, crawling with Warpers?” Ryley nodded, grimacing at the reminder. He'd been warped his fair share of times, it hurt like hell and always caught him off guard. 

“Well, we’d best not put it off if we hope to find that alien research facility. We'd need a Prawn to get to it, right?” Avery looked to him for confirmation, and he shrugged.  **It would be ideal, yes, but we could technically get there in two Seamoths with MK3 modules.**

The other sighed. “Or that. We have to go to the Grand Reef for both gel sacks and rubies, anyways.” Ryley nodded in agreement as they headed towards their respective Seamoths.

It took them about a few minutes to get to the Grand Reef, but it felt like as soon as they got there, the Warpers were on top of them. They were basically playing a game of tag with the creatures where the cost could be their life. Ryley glanced at his depth reading, they had just crossed 500 meters. 

Almost as if on cue, his Seamoth groaned and sparks flew as the hull integrity dropped from 100% to 90%. He winced, pulling the wheel towards himself to ascend until he was just barely at the maximum depth. Something in the depths caught his eye, he squinted to try and make out what it was.  _ A habitat?  _ He thought to himself, noting that it was pretty weathered away. Pulling out his PDA, he quickly pinged Avery to find somewhere safe from the Warpers to wait for him, explaining what he saw. He said he'd turn on the beacon if he was in trouble, double checking he had it on him.

Once he saw the other do as he'd requested, he took a deep breath and left the Seamoth, keeping track of the warpers that had been chasing them as he did so. He only had a limited amount of oxygen and needed to get there as fast as possible, which proved to be slightly difficult without the Seamoth. There was a creature he'd never seen before, it looked like a huge, glowing blue squid-crab hybrid with a spider-like mouth. He'd learned to assume a creature was hostile until proven otherwise, which led him to hug the ceiling of the cave as he swam in order to avoid it. Throwing the creature a wary glance, once he was above the habitat he swam around it to find an entrance. The first one he found was a broken hatch, rusted from time and stuck open. 

Inside Ryley found an aquarium of sorts, as well as observatories on either side of the room. In one he found an abandoned PDA, and the other had a data box with blueprints for something called “Swim charge fins” He pulled out the cartridge and plugged it into his PDA, saving the entry for later. He went down a floor through a pathway for a ladder and found an office or lab of sorts, there were several counters with lab equipment on them, a desk, and several papers floating all throughout the room. Upon closer inspection, he found an alien tablet, this one orange as opposed to the purple ones he'd found before. He grabbed it, storing it before glancing around the room one last time to see if he'd missed anything important. 

As he was about to leave, he spotted a creature egg with the cutest fish he had ever seen in it. He quickly grabbed it, swimming out of the hatch he had entered. A quick glance at the vitals his PDA monitored told him he had about 45 seconds of oxygen left, and the beacon for his Seamoth was roughly 200 meters away. This exact situation was why he didn't use his Seaglide on the way in, the device’s battery was extremely low and he had no idea how much longer it would last. As he pulled out the Seaglide and powered it on, the alien he had noticed when he entered the cave let out a stuttering screech that sounded almost like a bird’s chirp. 

Ryley glanced down to see the alien making a beeline for him and he turned, starting to swim away. The creature let out another screech and a shockwave went off, stunning him for a few seconds. A notification appeared on his HUD telling him to swim to the surface, but his PDA had just pinged with a 30 seconds warning. Once the shock wore off, he darted out and back to the Seamoth. He just barely made it, his vision was starting to darken as he all but threw himself back into the vehicle, gasping for air. Almost immediately Avery contacted him, the other’s concerned voice coming through his radio earpiece. 

“What happened down there? I saw some kind of electric blast go off!” Once Ryley had recovered his breath, he pulled out his PDA to respond.  **There was something I've never seen before down there. I think that was an EMP blast of sorts because my HUD freaked out and it physically stunned me for a few seconds. I'm fine, though.** He immediately started heading back to their base, not wanting a second date with that creature. 

“Your HUD freaked out? How so?” Avery asked, forcing Ryley to stop again.  **It told me to swim to the surface as if I was about to run out of oxygen, but my PDA had just given me the thirty second warning.** The other was silent, either confused or deep in thought. On their way back, he spotted a wreck and they stopped to explore it. Inside were a few Prawn Suit fragments and a data box that had a blueprint for something called Alien Containment. Back in the Seamoth, Ryley looked at the new blueprint and found it was a large aquarium, and he was immediately reminded of the adorable creature egg he'd found in the abandoned habitat.  _ Perfect,  _ he thought, smiling to himself. 

When they got back to their base, Ryley looked closer at the Alien Containment blueprint. He needed just glass and titanium, which they already had somewhere in their numerous lockers. He quickly found the required materials and built a new room for the aquarium. Avery was staring at the new room in surprise when he came back inside, making him laugh. 

“What's this for?” The other asked him, and he showed Avery the blueprint along with the egg he'd found. “What creature is that?” He asked in wonder, staring at the egg. Ryley shrugged, signing, ‘We’ll see.’ He set to building the aquarium, adding a hatch to it so he could get in and out of it. The first thing he did was carefully place the egg down, and he couldn't help but smile at the adorable creature inside. Leaving the aquarium, he went outside to grab some fish to put in with the egg, as well as some plants to put in the planter. Once he was done with that, he admired his work for a second before letting out a yawn. It had been a while since they'd had a chance to sleep, they'd been working to get the modules that they needed to go deeper. 

Ryley couldn't explain it, but he felt something calling him deeper into the ocean. The problem was, their Seamoths could only go 500 meters as it was, and the locations of the alien facilities said the closest one was 800 meters down. They either needed a Prawn Suit or MK3 modules on their Seamoths to get there. Looking at their storage, he groaned realizing they didn't have enough rubies for two of the max depth modules. 

“What?” Avery questioned him, watching him curiously. **We don't have enough rubies for two modules.** **I can go back for more.** Ryley offered, smirking as the other rolled his eyes. “Of course you offer to put yourself in danger.” He shrugged, shutting the locker. He'd been here longer than Avery, so he knew his way around, which was why he always insisted on going out. He told Avery just that, who reluctantly agreed. 

“Just be careful.” The other said with a sigh, and he nodded. Their base wasn't too far from the Grand Reef, thankfully, so he quickly made the depth module he had rubies for, equipped it, and left the habitat. He saw several infected fauna on his way over there, increasing the deep anxiety hiding in his gut. He and Avery both had the disease as well, and it was only a limited amount of time before they started showing symptoms. 

Ryley made it to the Grand Reef with minimal issues, finding the ruby he needed rather quickly. He found himself going deeper, despite having what he came for. He found a new area he'd never seen before around 600 meters down, huge fossils laying around and a sulphuric river flowing through the seabed. 

“Terrain scans indicate this biome contains unusually high concentrations of organic and fossilized remains.” His PDA piped up, telling him he'd found a new biome. He spotted alien pillars to his right, realizing that was an indicator of the alien research facility being nearby. He pulled out his PDA to ping Avery, telling the other he'd found what they were looking for. Avery replied demanding he turn on the beacon he carried with him, which he did without complaint. He steered his Seamoth towards the pillars, searching around for the facility. Once he found it, his jaw dropped in shock. 

“This alien structure appears to have collapsed to the sea floor.” His PDA said.  _ You don't fucking say,  _ he thought sarcastically, looking for his way in. Once he found it, his PDA spoke up again. “Detecting an alien broadcast. Linguistic analysis reads: ‘Caution: hazardous materials and life forms contained within.’ Ryley rolled his eyes.  _ I doubt they're alive given the state of this place. _ He thought to himself, entering the facility. Inside there were several ion cubes, and he found the research room rather easily. On his way there, he passed a room with another huge fossil in it, which he scanned quickly before heading back to his Seamoth for air.

With his oxygen tank full, he headed back to the research room. He scanned everything he could in there, as well as downloaded the data from an alien terminal he found. 

“Data pertaining to the bacterium is being downloaded. Caution, detecting atypical fluctuations in blood plasma proteins. A self-scan is strongly advised.” He was running low on air, so he quickly swam back to his Seamoth and scanned himself. 

“Performing self-scan. Bacterial infection has spread to the skin and pulmonary system. It is imperative you find a way to neutralize the infection.” Ryley’s heart dropped at the PDA’s words, he shakily pulled off his gloves to find his hands were covered in the bioluminescent green pustules he'd seen on the infected fauna. As if on cue, a coughing fit attacked his lungs and he felt like something was squeezing his windpipe shut. Once the coughing fit wore off, he shook his head and yanked on the Seamoth’s controls to turn himself around. He needed to get back to the base to see if Avery’s infection was at the same stage as his. They were in deep trouble if it was. 

He had some trouble finding his way out of the biome, the Lost River his PDA had called it. Sounded about right considering he was currently very lost in it. Behind him, he heard a warper teleport in and he cursed internally. Those things would be all over him with his infection where it was. Almost as if it had heard his thoughts, the warper spotted him and let out its digital-sounding screech. Moments later, pain lit up across his entire body as he was warped out of his Seamoth, appearing a couple meters away. He swiveled around, trying to find his way back to the Seamoth. He screamed when he found the Warper right behind him and it slashed at him with its translucent claws, opening a large laceration on his back. 

Ryley forced himself to ignore the pain as he swam back to his Seamoth.  _ Fuck, I need to get out of here.  _ He thought, forcing the Seamoth to go as fast as it could once he got back inside it. His hopes rose when he spotted the floating blue bulbs of the Grand Reef, but the warper seemed to have summoned its friends as he heard two appear near him. He didn't stop to check where they were, focused on getting away from them. However, the Warpers were faster than he was and another teleportation caught him off guard. He found himself face to face with a Biter when the warbling of his vision wore off, which bit him aggressively. He tried to shake it off his arm, but it was latched onto him with a death grip and he had to hit it with his knife to make it let go.

Turning to swim in the other direction proved to be a bad idea as he was confronted by a warper, which slashed at him again and opened a new wound on his forearm. His limbs were getting weaker by the second as he lost more and more blood from the growing number of wounds he was collecting. He was farther away from his Seamoth than the last time he had been warped out of it, which only drained his already low energy further as he swam back to it. His PDA pinged as he entered the Seamoth, telling him that he was losing blood fast and to seek medical attention. 

  
Ryely growled in frustration at that, pulling the controls closer to him so he could ascend. He just wanted to get the hell away from the things that were literally killing him. He spotted one of the creatures he’d seen earlier when he was over here with Avery, and it seemed to see him as it made a beeline for him yet again. He tried to escape but wasn’t fast enough, the creature screeched and set off an EMP blast, freezing his Seamoth in place and his HUD told him to swim to the surface. The vehicle jerked as the creature attacked it, Ryley was thrown around inside it and his head smacked against the wall. Stars danced in front of his eyes as he dazedly climbed back into the driver’s seat. His vision was starting to fade and one thought was running through his buzzing mind:  _ I need to get out of here. _ He barely made it to the entrance to the Deep Grand Reef before he sagged over the controls, losing consciousness slowly. The last thing he heard was Avery’s voice over his earpiece, but he couldn’t make out what the other was saying through the ringing in his ears.


End file.
